The Rise and Fall of Legs Diamond (1960)

User Rating:

6.9/10   

Director:

Budd Boetticher

Writer:

Joseph Landon (writer)

Release Date:

15 May 1960 (Japan)

Genre:

Crime | History

Tagline:

The Wildest Mobster of the Roaring Twenties!

Plot:

Jack Diamond and his sickly brother arrive in prohibition New York as jewellery thieves. After a spell...

Plot Keywords:

Gangster | New York City | Irish Gangster | Irish American | Character Name In Title

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar.

Cast

Ray Danton	...	Jack 'Legs' Diamond
Karen Steele	...	Alice Shiffer
Elaine Stewart	...	Monica Drake
Jesse White	...	Leo Bremer
Simon Oakland	...	Lieutenant Moody
Robert Lowery	...	Arnold Rothstein
Judson Pratt	...	Fats Walsh
Warren Oates	...	Eddie Diamond
Frank DeKova	...	Chairman
Gordon Jones	...	Sergeant Cassidy
Joseph Ruskin	...	Matt Moran
Dyan Cannon	...	Dixie
Richard Gardner	...	Vince Coll

Runtime:

101 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | French | Italian | German

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Certification:

Finland:K-16

Company:

United States Pictures

Trivia:

The Broadway musical production based on this movie "Legs Diamond" opened at the Mark Hellinger Theater in New York on December 26, 1988 and ran for 64 performances.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Budd Boetticher: A Man Can Do That (2005) (TV)

Terrific entertainment! Ray Danton and Warren Oates are both wonderful.

I'd never heard a thing about this one before I put it in my video player. I knew Warren Oates (one of my favourite character actors - 'The Shooting', 'The Wild Bunch', 'Two-Lane Blacktop', 'Bring Me The Head Of Alfredo Garcia',etc.) was in the supporting cast and that was enough for me to give it a go. I know absolutely nothing about the real life exploits of 1930s gangster Jack 'Legs' Diamond, so this movie is more than likely utter fiction, but hey, I didn't watch it for a history lesson, I watched it to be entertained, and it certainly did that! It's a terrific picture, very cool and constantly engaging. Oates plays Legs' sickly "lunger" brother Eddie and he's very good, as are the three sexy women in Legs' life (Karen Steele, Elaine Stewart and a young Dyan Cannon). There are also several familiar faces in the supporting cast that you'll recognize from half forgotten old movies , but Ray Danton completely steals the film as Diamond. I'm very surprised after watching this that Danton didn't go on to be a major star as he is very charismatic and a credible actor. If you like crime movies try and find 'The Rise And Fall Of Legs Diamond'. It may be obscure but it's a really good b-picture and not to be overlooked.